Suzi's phone vibrated in her back pocket, rattling against the metal of her favorite cafe's patio seating. Trystan's big, dumb grin illuminated the front.
"Haven't I been through enough?" she said, leaning on her elbows, pressing the phone against her ear.
"Hey. Bad news. My buddy can't make it tonight."
Suzi mouthed thank you to the cloudless sky. "Oh no... that's too bad."
"I mean, don't go cry into your Cherry Garcia this second. Just 'cuz I'm not handing you your Stud Number Twenty on a silver platter doesn't mean you're off the hook."
Her heart sank. "I can't get one night off?"
"Don't break the streak, Suze."
"No... of course not... God forbid I break the streak."
"Sorry I couldn't pull through, but I'm sure you'll think of something. How'd it go last night?"
She gulped.
"That guy Amy set you up with. How'd it go?"
As hard as Suzi tried, she couldn't pull together an image of the face from last night. She did remember the feel of lips against hers, of large teeth scraping against her neck. She shuddered. "Less chemistry than pouring battery acid on rocks."
"Don't tell Amy that."
"Back to the problem. I have no date."
"Yeah. So I gotta go. Practice."
"You suck. You know that?" But before she finished her question, Suzi was left holding her ear up to the empty end of silence. "Asshole."
Finding a date wouldn't be hard. She hadn't had too many difficulties so far. One way or another, an opportunity would present itself.
A gust of wind swept through the patio chairs and tables, disturbing dry leaves and pieces of rubbish blowing around the street. A semi-crumpled paper caught a breeze and wrapped around her ankle.
"Gross." Suzi reached down to brush off the offending trash when a bold headline snagged her attention:
KARAOKE BLIND DATES: ONE NIGHT ONLY
She smoothed it out.
SPECIAL EVENT!
SINGLE AND LOVE TO SING? SO DOES EVERYONE IN THE ROOM!
JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL KARAOKE BLIND DATE DUET NIGHT AT
THE DRAGON UPSTAIRS KARAOKE BAR.
MUST BE 21+
$15 AT THE DOOR
YOU COULD BE ONE BALLAD AWAY FROM YOUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER
Blind date karaoke duets? What the hell does that entail? She opened her purse to slip her phone inside when she noticed a business card sticking up from the side pocket. The thick fabric brought her back to a few nights ago on one of the worst dates so far.
The blood.
All the blood and swirl of red and blue lights around the aquarium.
Detective Montez.
Her satin skin.
Her deep brown eyes.
The way she hovered behind Suzi, brushing up against her arms. The sweet smell of her gum as she talked, forming words from plump, unpainted lips...
YOU ARE READING
Lip Service | Blind Date 20 of 31
Short StorySuzi needs a date. Well actually, based on the bet she just made with her two best friends, she needs thirty-one dates. Thirty-one blind dates to be exact. On date twenty, despite a string of unfortunate nights, fate offers Suzi a chance to change h...
